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I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

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Re: I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

#71

Post by [deleted] »

NikolaeVarius wrote: post #29
Laremere wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As much as I love Veritasium, I feel the OP video is better than his. Actually doing the experiment is really good, and it honestly feels like he was fishing for another debate like the faster than wind car by giving only a super theoretical and unintuitive explanation. (I don't have any real evidence of that, but it does /feel/ like it.) I also wonder what would happen if, instead of a setup like this: ┏───────light…

Yeah, this is what im wondering. The proposed mechanism for this is that the wires generate electric fields that influence electrons remotely. Fine. What happens when they are not close enough for any meaningful electric field interaction?

[deleted]

Re: I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

#72

Post by lmilcin »

charcircuit wrote: post #67
lmilcin wrote: post #9

Fun to introduce general population to some interesting physics but please, don't call it "settling physics debate". There is NO debate. Not physics debate, not even practical debate because that knowledge is in practical everyday use. We know signals in wires take time to propagate and I have to take this into account when I design my circuits. Things like matching lengths of traces (especially differential pairs) s…

>There is NO debate I'm guessing you never checked the comment section.

Bring any topic however widely known and thoroughly proven to a large enough general audience and you will always find people with no actual knowledge that will question it.

Try to find a post on HN with a lot of upvotes and comments where everybody would agree on something.

If you want to know if there is "physics debate" ask people who know physics, not commenters on Youtube or HN.

Re: I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

#73

Post by jjoonathan »

amelius wrote: post #45

This is basic transmission line theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_line

In particular, the characteristic impedance of ladder line (air dielectric) is:

Z ≈ 276Ω * log10(2 * separation / diameter)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin-lead#Ladder_line

Re: I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

#74

Post by teddyh »

Laremere wrote: post #25
0xTJ wrote: post #5

That Veritasium video is one of the most controversial educational videos I've seen. I think one of the issues with it is that it's a bit pedantic, but also ignores other issues, that invites other people to be pedantic about it.

As much as I love Veritasium, I feel the OP video is better than his. Actually doing the experiment is really good, and it honestly feels like he was fishing for another debate like the faster than wind car by giving only a super theoretical and unintuitive explanation. (I don't have any real evidence of that, but it does /feel/ like it.) I also wonder what would happen if, instead of a setup like this: ┏───────light…

Once the light and battery are far apart, I have a horrible suspicion that the definition of simultaneity will become problematic.

Re: I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

#75

Post by kongolongo »

jacobolus wrote: post #23
0xTJ wrote: post #5

That Veritasium video is one of the most controversial educational videos I've seen. I think one of the issues with it is that it's a bit pedantic, but also ignores other issues, that invites other people to be pedantic about it.

Controversial is fine to the extent the controversy shows people struggling toward clearer understanding and better explanations, and as long as all parties are operating in good faith (i.e. not being deliberately misleading). Let me highly recommend Mehdi Sadaghdar’s (ElectroBOOM) excellent response video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iph500cPK28 which does a great job of empirically investigating and theoreticall…

ElectroBOOM's exchange with a retired MIT professor (it was over whether or not KVL always holds) was also very polite, respectful, and entertaining and yet surprisingly the professor who must have received and exchanged feedback before having published many, many times seemed to have a meltdown over a the disagreement.

Re: I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

#76

Post by tpush »

So, I genuinely do not get the "controversy" over the Veritasium video. AFAIU, the entire point of the video was to show that electricity travels not through wires but via electric fields ("through the air" so to speak).

To illustrate this, he sets up an experiment with parameters such that the conclusion can only mean that some electricity has traveled to the bulb before any could arrive through/around the wires.

He sets up the parameters so that the bulb would turn on by that little electricity; but that is obviously just a visual sign, and his point is valid no matter how much electricity traveled to bulb under whatever different parameters.

It kinda feels like most people are missing the actual point of the video.

Re: I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

#77

Post by motoxpro »

frosted-flakes wrote: post #48
colechristensen wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not a fan of the “big leagues” of science YouTube, many seem to have been tainted by the attention algorithm game.

Especially Mark Rober. His videos aren't really about science at all, but rather attention-grabbing feats like package thief glitter bombs, squirrel mazes, and chemical volcano explosions—pure entertainment. None of his videos teach you anything like Steve Mould's videos do.

I think the point is to get people excited about science and show what is possible/spark curiosity rather than trying to recreate a classroom. You can see this by all the kids that take his classes. There is space for both to exist.

Re: I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

#78

Post by rrobukef »

kreetx wrote: post #30
umvi wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

200uA of current flows through the lightbulb instantly, but it doesn't reach full current until speed of light delay.

A follow-up question: would there be no tiny change in the graph if the wires exiting the battery were further away from the wires immediately entering the light bulb?

The capacitive effects will decrease and noise created by inductive effects will increase due to a larger area.

Re: I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

#79

Post by soheil »

This Veritasium video was the first instance of clickbate 2.0

We're going to see more and more this type of video. Instead of the thumbnail and title of the video being extremely controversial to attract views, the thesis of the video will be controversial to create endless online debate.

Re: I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate [video]

#80

Post by allemagne »

tpush wrote: post #76

So, I genuinely do not get the "controversy" over the Veritasium video. AFAIU, the entire point of the video was to show that electricity travels not through wires but via electric fields ("through the air" so to speak). To illustrate this, he sets up an experiment with parameters such that the conclusion can only mean that some electricity has traveled to the bulb before any could arrive through/around the wires. He…

I would echo this sentiment. Did this video not confirm exactly what Veritasium claimed (the small but noticeable "instantaneous" i.e. 1/c current)?
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